Handcrafted décor in a handcrafted store

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BROOKINGS – It’s OK to be a little choosy; it just means you know what you want. And at Finicky + Oak, a new boutique in downtown Brookings, owner Tiffany Hauf wants to help shoppers find just what they want.

Opened about mid-November, the store located at 314 Main Ave., Suite 4, isn’t Hauf’s first business experience.

“It used to be Tiffany’s Boutique before I moved here. I had a store in Winner for a couple years, so when I decided to move, I thought I needed a new name. I’m a picky person, that’s where the ‘Finicky’ comes from,” she explained. In her case, it’s a matter of being in control, rearranging and organizing things to her liking.

The “Oak” part of the name reflects the abundant wooden materials in her store. Not all of it might be oak, but it conveys strength and “it sounded good together.”

The change in name also reflects a change in focus from her days in Winner, where Tiffany’s Boutique was located, near her hometown of Colome. She moved from there to Brookings in October 2016.

Clothes were the mainstay then, and they still feature prominently as she establishes this business. Looking through her store, many of the clothes have a warm look to them, in texture and in color. Subdued shades of yellows, browns, creams and tans are common throughout her selection.

“It’s simple stuff. My style’s pretty simple. I’m not too drastic with my style,” she said.

All the furniture in Finicky + Oak was handmade by her father, from the counter to the dressing room. A few items were made by Hauf herself, however. She contributed display boxes and a wooden and metal bookcase that shows off some of the home décor items for sale.

In fact, she plans to steer her business more toward home décor items as her focus instead of boutique clothes.

Bath bombs, vases, lanterns, candles and handmade pillows from Minnesota and Washington state are all examples of the things that can be found inside Finicky + Oak.

She tries to find “stuff that’s rustic, not too modern. I like a lot of greenery, so little, tiny plants to put on shelves and stuff like that to add a little extra flare to your home. I am the type of person that doesn’t like a lot of bold colors. So pinks and oranges and stuff like that, I’m not huge on. You probably won’t see me carry that stuff; it’ll be more neutral colors. Kind of the farmhouse look.”

Focusing on home décor pieces is more in keeping to her interests, anyway, she added.

“Honestly, I was more interested in home stuff. I loved rearranging my room and stuff, so I thought I was going to go to school for interior decorating. Then my junior year, I really started thinking that I wanted to own a business and at that point, I knew that clothing was what I wanted to start out with.”

She teasingly blamed her mom’s love for HGTV for her urge to rearrange and decorate spaces.

Both parents have been both a help and an inspiration as she went about opening her store. Her father owns his own flooring business, and the idea of being her own boss and responsible for her own store appealed to her.

When she needs input about anything business related, her mother’s the one she often turns to, asking her for advice on “getting my business license and sales tax and filing sales tax and filing taxes.”

So, all the “fun” parts of business, she laughed, though she does ask for their input on products, too.

“I ask her and my sister a lot. When I want to carry something, I often ask them their opinion on it.”

Whether young or old, Hauf encouraged people to come check out the store, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I love to help people, so if you have a question about something, whether it’s clothing or if a piece will fit in your home, I always try to be honest with people.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.